Dr George Dakurah is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Rural Development at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. He holds a multidisciplinary academic background comprising a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and a Master’s degree in Population Studies from the University of Ghana, a Master’s degree in Environment and Development from King’s College London (University of London), and a PhD in Livelihoods (International and Rural Development) from the University of Reading, United Kingdom.

A committed and passionate researcher, Dr Dakurah has extensive experience working on collaborative research projects with colleagues from diverse academic, cultural, and geographical backgrounds. He has served as a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on the project “Yenkasa: Towards an Inclusive Communication for Agricultural Development in Africa”, where he collaborated with FAO staff based in Rome, Italy, and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) in Brussels. In a similar capacity, he has worked with the Earth and Atmospheric Laboratory at Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal, to examine the Government of Senegal’s management of the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) Fund. This collaboration culminated in an assessment report analysing the impacts of the 2014 drought on livelihoods and vulnerable populations in Senegal.

Dr Dakurah has an extensive and growing publication record in leading international peer-reviewed journals focusing on climate change, food systems, and food security, alongside broader development studies. His research has been published in high-impact journals such as Regional Environmental Change, GeoJournal, Climate and Development, Food, Culture & Society, African Geographical Review, and The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.

His climate change scholarship includes influential work on smallholder adaptation and decision-making, notably a 2024 article in Regional Environmental Change examining cropping decisions under climate variability in rural north-west Ghana. In Climate and Development, he analyses how cultural values and indigenous belief systems shape farmers’ perceptions of climate change, while his GeoJournal publication interrogates the relationship between farmers’ perceptions and observed climatic data, highlighting key implications for adaptation policy and practice.

A significant strand of his research focuses on food systems and food security, particularly the cultural dimensions of food production and consumption. In Food, Culture & Society, he explores the symbolic, ritual, and cultural meanings of food and crop use among the Dagaaba of north-west Ghana, contributing to broader debates on the social foundations of food systems in climate-affected regions. His interdisciplinary work also extends to the links between food insecurity and wellbeing, including publication in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging on food insecurity and mental health outcomes among older adults.

Collectively, Dr Dakurah’s research sits at the intersection of climate change, food systems, and rural livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is grounded in a sustained engagement with both environmental processes and socio-cultural dynamics, with particular emphasis on how climate variability, indigenous knowledge systems, and food cultures jointly shape adaptation and resilience in vulnerable farming communities.

In addition to his research contributions, Dr Dakurah has demonstrated growing expertise in grantsmanship and international collaboration. In 2024, he contributed to a major proposal under the Focus-Africa initiative titled “Agroforestry Innovation for Food Security, Climate Resilience, Biodiversity Enhancement, and Empowered Communities.” This European Commission-funded project, valued at €6,000,000, brought together 15 partner organisations across Europe, the United Kingdom, and Africa. Although the application was unsuccessful, the process significantly enhanced his experience in coordinating large-scale, multi-partner international research proposals. In the same year, he collaborated with Professor Jessica Rose Ham of Emory University on a $20,000 grant-funded project under the Emory Global Health Scholars Programme. The study, titled “Dynamic Relations between Soil, Food, and Bodies: Implications for Food Security in Semi-Arid Ghana from a One Health Perspective,” examined the interconnections between soil systems, food security, and human health. As the in-country Principal Investigator, Dr Dakurah coordinated fieldwork, managed logistics, and oversaw data collection, thereby strengthening his capacity to lead interdisciplinary international research.

Looking ahead, Dr Dakurah’s long-term research ambition is to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa. While committed to advancing scholarly knowledge, he is equally focused on translating research findings into practical, policy-relevant interventions that strengthen climate resilience. A central strand of his future work will explore the integration of nature-based solutions (NbS) into planning and climate policy, with particular attention to the social and cultural dimensions of their adoption. Through this work, he aims to contribute to reducing vulnerability to climate change and advancing sustainable development across the region.